Expert Tasks NERC On Attractive Tariff For Investors

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has been advised to consider a tariff regime that will be attractive to investors, if the plan to deregulate the power sector must succeed.

The advised was given by the General Manager, Duro Engineering Limited, Engr Ola Joseph, while speaking to The Tide in Port Harcourt on the Federal Government’s plan to deregulate the power sector.

He remarked that investors would only put their money in a business they consider profitable, stressing that if the regulatory agency gets the foundation right, electricity would become the biggest project in the country, leading to improved power supply and infrastructural development.

According to him, “electricity is the infrastructure portal of this country, without electricity, nothing else will work”, saying that NERC should take what it has inherited, and do what the Nigerian Communications Commission has done in the telecoms sector.

“Now we have a very unique opportunity, you must carefully decide the sequencing of the three ‘As’ of public service – affordability, availability and accessibility”, he noted.

He argued that the end game of successful regulation should be affordable electricity, which is available all the time and accessible to all, rich or poor in the rural or urban areas.

“Unfortunately, these three do not usually converge at the same time; if ever you must choose which comes first in Nigeria today, I think it should first be availability at a relatively ‘high price’, he opined.

He urged Nigerians to be patient with the present administration, which he said, is positive and sincere in its transformation agenda, especially in the power sector, saying that from all indications, plans are underway to implement the Federal Government agenda on power supply reforms.